Main » Sen. Cornyn no longer in running for Federal Bureau of Investigation director

Sen. Cornyn no longer in running for Federal Bureau of Investigation director

20 May 2017

One person on the short list to be the new Federal Bureau of Investigation director is Texas Senator John Cornyn.

While Cornyn is one of the more popular members of the Senate GOP Conference, a number of his colleagues are skeptical that he would be the right choice for the job, anxious that such a pick would be viewed as too political at a time when many critics are questioning whether Comey was sacked to slow-walk the FBI's investigation into alleged Russian coordination with the Trump campaign during last year's elections.

"I have always considered public service to be a great privilege", Cornyn said in the statement.

"We need our Republican colleagues to join us in standing up, to put country over party and work with Democrats to get the truth of Director Comey's firing, to protect the integrity of the investigation into Russian interference in our election and to get to the bottom of yesterday's report", Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of NY said.

Cornyn's announcement came the day after Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., took himself out of the running. Cornyn also expressed confidence - not universally shared - that the Senate's investigation will be bipartisan and that the deputy FBI director who provided the memo that justified the firing could oversee a fair investigation. Cornyn is a Texas republican and a member of the Senate Finance, Intelligence, and Judiciary Committees.

From a political landscape, Cornyn now serves as the Senate Majority Whip and Republicans control 52 Senate seats, both factors that may have lead some Republicans to try and convince Cornyn to hold his position. "Senators generally do better in confirmation hearings and you add that to the fact that Cornyn has been vetted in every way you possibly can".

Asked, during an interview on NBC's Meet The Press, whether it's the right time for Trump to pick an elected political official, Graham said no. But Trump has remained leery of Ayotte, who publicly broke with him during his presidential campaign and criticized him, according to people close to the White House. "So, I think he would look towards shoring up Republican control over that seat and shoring up his own standing in the state", Suri said.

The senator would likely be confirmed regardless of Democratic support, as it would only require a simple majority in the Republican-controlled Senate. Cornyn would be a popular choice, but Sen.